Thursday, October 23, 2008

A federal judge has permanently barred convicted tax rebel and author Irwin Schiff and a co-defendant from preparing tax returns and marketing products advising people that no law requires Americans to pay federal income taxes.

Federal officials said the permanent injunction by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Lloyd George in Las Vegas ensures that Schiff and his former business partner, Cynthia Neun, "cannot promote tax fraud schemes from within prison or when they are released."

"The Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department have strong civil and criminal enforcement tools available to stop tax defiers who promote fraudulent schemes," Justice Department lawyer Nathan Hochman said in a statement following George's Oct. 14 order. The filing made permanent a restraining order and preliminary injunction first imposed in 2003.

Schiff, 80, and Neun, 55, are serving federal prison sentences after a jury in Las Vegas found them guilty in October 2005 of conspiracy, tax evasion and tax fraud.

Schiff was sentenced to 12 years and seven months by U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson, who branded Schiff and his Las Vegas company, Freedom Books, "a flimflam operation" that encouraged others to engage in a fraudulent tax evasion scheme.

Dawson last month added another 11 months to Schiff's prison term for 15 contempt citations Schiff received while serving as his own lawyer during trial. Schiff has also been ordered to pay more than $4.2 million in restitution.

Michael Nash, a lawyer who represented Schiff at sentencing, said Wednesday that Schiff is no longer his client. Attorney Michael Cristalli, who represented Neun, said he was not involved in the government's move to seek a permanent injunction and could not comment.

Neun is due to be released in 2010 after a five year and eight month sentence.

Schiff wrote several books, including "The Federal Mafia: How the Government Illegally Imposes and Unlawfully Collects Income Taxes," which the government banned from circulation as fraudulent commercial speech.

Israel's Army chief, Major General Avi Mizrahi secretly visited Kashmir last week. Indian authorities remained tight-lipped about the visit, neither confirming nor denying, however, the lid was blown by Iranian News Agency, IRNA. Earlier, Major General Avi Mizrahi, had arrived in New Delhi on September 9, on a three-day visit, where he met his counterpart Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor and also minister of state for defence production, Rao Inderjit Singh, chiefs of India's navy and air force and discussed joint military training and exercises for the two armed forces.

Israel has offered to train Indian troops in counter-insurgency and anti-terrorist operations. General Mizrahi's visit to Kashmir comes in the backdrop of a massive anti-India agitation in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. At least 50 persons have been killed in the uprising that began two months back with the tensions still high. India and Israel have shared defense co-operation since diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Tel Aviv were established in 1992. The ties have become stronger in recent times with India emerging as the largest purchaser of Israeli arms since the beginning of the 21st century. India has purchased the Phalcons Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems from Israel that would be fitted onto the Indian Air Force's three IL-76 heavy-lift transport aircraft. It has also bought the Green Pine radars that warn of incoming enemy ballistic missiles. The Indian armed forces also use Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance. The Indian Army uses Israeli night-vision equipment, particularly in Kashmir. Indian troops in occupied Kashmir have been armed with Israeli made Travor assault rifles to crush the Kashmiris' righteous struggle. The TAR-21 Travor rifle costing around $6500 is one of the most modern assault rifles available in the world. According to Kashmir Media Service, the rifles are part of India's strategy to use them during siege and search operation in civilian areas in the disputed territory.

It may be recalled that last year in October, a delegation of senior Israeli army officers secretly visited the violence hit Kashmir. Israeli army officers, during their visit to Kashmir, undertook real time testing of the sophisticated equipment sold by Israel to the Indian army. The wide array of Israeli-made surveillance devices, ranging from unattended ground sensors and Hand-Held Thermal Imagers (HHTI) to Long-Range Reconnaissance and Observation Systems and the Battle Field Surveillance Radars and the Surveillance Grid have been deployed by the Indian army along the LoC to keep a check on the infiltration of militants from the Pakistani side of Kashmir.

Three Putnam County voters say electronic voting machines changed their votes from Democrats to Republicans when they cast early ballots last week.

This is the second West Virginia county where voters have reported this problem. Last week, three voters in Jackson County told The Charleston Gazette their electronic vote for "Barack Obama" kept flipping to "John McCain".

In both counties, Republicans are responsible for overseeing elections. Both county clerks said the problem is isolated.

They also blamed voters for not being more careful.

"People make mistakes more than machines," said Jackson County Clerk Jeff Waybright.

Greek lawmakers voted unanimously early Thursday to launch a parliamentary investigation into a scandal involving a land swap between the state and a 1,000-year-old Orthodox monastery that has deeply embarrassed the conservative government.

Under Greek law, parliament is the only authority competent to decide whether deputies or government officials should face prosecution. The motion was approved unanimously by all five parties in parliament, and an investigative committee will be set up within 45 days to start the probe, parliament speaker Dimitris Sioufas said.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis' conservatives, who hold a slim majority of two seats in the 300-seat parliament, have been accused of trying to cover up the scandal, under which the powerful Vatopedi monastery traded low-value land for high-value state property.

A preliminary judicial investigation found that the deals were weighted in favor of the monks, and the cost to the state is believed to have been at least 100 million euros ($136 million). The government canceled the land deals this month and acknowledged they had hurt the public interest.

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Roots

Revelation 13

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy...

...And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?...

Mark 13

And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.